Mantis (Ship)
Description The mantis (along with the mosquito and the damselfly) is a second-generation development of the famous dragonfly, and should not be confused with the much larger and more dangerous scro mantis ship. The ship is larger and better protected than the dragonfly, but, as with the damselfly, it suffers a loss in maneuverability. One notable addition to the design is the development of a type of retractable grappling ram. Somewhat similar to the ram-claws of the scorpion ship, these grapple rams can reach out to grasp the hulls of an adversary. They are designed to be able to both grasp and release a ship quickly, so when they score a hit, they always do minimum damage for a grapple ram. Crew The owners and crews of mantis ships are usually human. Most crews dislike the mantis as they feel either a smaller, quicker ship or a more heavily armored one could better protect them. They are quick to point out that the larger fish-ships are just as maneuverable as the mantis yet are better protected. Many damselfly owners look favorably upon the mantis as a viable alternative to the cramped conditions aboard their ships. Ship Uses Trading/Smuggling: As with other ships this size, the mantis gets a good share of use from individuals moving goods. Of course, which side of the law these people tread upon varies from person to person. They are likely to modify their ships to some degree according to their personal tastes. Adventurer's Ship: The addition of grapple rams on such a small ship has attracted the attention of many adventurers. That, plus the increased cargo capacity, make the ship a good option for a small party. As with any adventurer.s vessel, many personal modifications can be expected to be implemented. Pirate's Ship: The quick-release grapple is of great interest to many small-time pirates. This mechanism allows them to board a larger ship quickly, and to cast off quickly should the going get tough. Often pirate groups that use this ship do not rely upon great numbers to overwhelm their opponents, but rather are an elite group of powerful individuals. Several small pirate organizations have already made quite a name for themselves using this ship. Humanoid Reaver: During the second unhuman war, several of these ships were used by humanoid forces, usually being manned by scro or hobgoblins. Some believe that this indicates that the larger (and greatly superior) scro mantis was based as much upon this design as upon the design of the orc scorpion. Humanoid crews tend to number as many as 45. Air considerations are not considered to be a problem, since these ships are expected to be used to capture prize ships, allowing the excess crew to breathe the air of the captured vessel. Other Configurations Grasshopper class: This variant of the mantis is a non-combative configuration. The forward grapples have been altered and moved to replace the rear set of landing gear. This application lets the ship easily grasp and tow other ships. This ship is seeing scattered use with some navies as a repair tug. Note that the ship cannot reach spelljamming speed with another ship in tow. There have been rumors of one enterprising group of individuals in Realmspace that uses this ship to steal other ships from spacedock. Current reports put their tally at seven ships so far, with little progress made in apprehending the culprits.